Timothy Clark, CEO of LeaderFactor, has written an ingenious book, The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety. The book presents a framework that allows us to assess the degree of psychological safety in your organization. Clark calls his framework the “Four Stages of Psychological Safety”.  The four stages are:

  • Inclusion Safety
  • Learner Safety
  • Contributor Safety
  • Challenger Safety

Clark writes, “There is a natural progression across four developmental stages based on a combination of respect and permission”.

  • Respect – “The general level of regard and esteem we give each other. To respect someone is to value and appreciate them”.
  • Permission – “The permission given others to participate as members of a social unit, the degree we allow them to influence us and participate in what we are doing”.

Clark’s framework is based on the premise that “as organizations grant increasing levels of respect and permission, individuals generally behave in a way that reflects the level of psychological safety offered to them”.  Psychological safety “requires both respect and permission to participate. One without the other creates a dangerous imbalance that hurts people in different ways. A serious deficiency in permission pushes a team into the gutter of paternalism, whereas a serious deficiency in respect moves it into the gutter of exploitation. In either case, the organization will lack the motivation, confidence and unit cohesion to perform at its best”.

PATERNALISM

According to Clark, “paternalism’s lack of permission creates the fear of social isolation. When you’re constantly told what to do, you get used to it, gradually becoming passive and unsure of yourself to the point that being self-reliant becomes a frightening prospect. You seek comfort more than freedom, security more than independence”.  The author addresses the threat of paternalism throughout his book:

  • “Paternalism’s lack of permission creates the fear of social isolation”.
  • “Paternalism is telling you what to do, supposedly in your best interest. A higher authority will supply your needs or regulate your behavior because it doesn’t believe you can do it yourself”.
  • “Misguided paternalism means we’re granting some respect to the individual but withholding the power to choose”.
  • “When you’re controlled by extrinsic motivation, you look outside yourself for punishment or rewards. You’re stripped of autonomy and, in the process, an internal impetus to action”.
  • “Unnecessary paternalism runs the risk of breeding dependency and learned helplessness on the one hand and frustration and rebellion on the other”.
  • “Paternalism is safe in the short term but grows dangerous in the long term. In your benevolence, you cut off the circulation of local knowledge that is flowing to you from the bottom of the organization, suffer the consequences of isolation and find yourself in crisis later”.
  • “In most paternalistic societies, there’s strong deference to authority and a desire to honor the past”.

EXPLOITATION

  • “Exploitation combines high permission with low respect. It tends to be motivated by the universal temptation toward despotism – the urge to control others for gain and gratification”.
  • “Exploitation comes in degrees but is always based on the exploiter’s allegiance to selfish ambition”.
  • “What concerns me is that people can become conditioned to accept exploitation, which leads to the normalization of abuse”.
  • “Exploitation is the process of extracting value from another human being while disregarding that person’s inherent value”.
  • “The most common forms of exploitation are not illegal, just immoral. They take the form of rudeness, unkindness, incivility and abuse and they exact a terrifying toll”.

From an individual’s perspective, Clark strongly urges you to stop seeking approval from others. “At some point, we have to stop caring about what others think. If not, we become vulnerable to further exploitation, giving others the power to control or manipulate us and turning us into victims”.  He continues by writing, “We crave attention, sometimes even if it’s the wrong kind. Attention alone never satisfies, but it can deeply hurt”. All in all, “if you want to be happy, you will sometimes need to politely disconnect to protect yourself”.  The author offers this advice so you can act to protect yourself:

“Love yourself first. Give yourself inclusion safety – the respect and permission you inherently deserve”.

“Be alert to the motives of those around you.  When treated in a bad manner “act early to confront the behavior or remove yourself from the situation”.

“Don’t believe that you must accept abusive treatment”.

“Learn resilience in your resistance.  As you work to liberate yourself  from unhealthy treatment, fight back in healthy ways”.

“If you feel dominated, controlled or trapped, with no apparent means of escape, search for a way out or leave immediately. In the meantime, refuse to entertain damaging thoughts about yourself”.

“Find and connect with trustworthy, happy people who genuinely want your success and are willing to help”.

The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety is a must read in the pursuit of individual happiness and organizational excellence.